A jargon-free journey through the world of social media.

Gini Dietrich

January 28, 2010

Throughout January, The Social Path is running daily tips on how to improve your social life — online, at least. Click here to learn more.

Considering the incredible diversity of people and professions involved in social media, it's shocking to me that so many folks turn to the same small set of social media luminaries.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of Chris Brogan, David Armano, Jeremiah Owyang and the rest of the top-tier thinkers in the social space. But I get just as much or more inspiration from my own subset of thought leaders, and I think you will too.

One warning: this is a marketing-oriented list because, well, that's what I do. But even if you just do social media for fun, you should still give these folks a read. No matter where the industry and technology shifts, I find that each of them keep me feeling excited about the opportunities.

• Leigh Householder, brand strategist and author of Advergirl.com. I can never say enough good things about Leigh, a longtime friend and confidant. Her perspectives on social media are meticulous enough for the executive set and clear enough for the rest of us.

• Shannon Paul, community manager. If you could get a cup of coffee with any social media pro in the country, Shannon would definitely be a top pick. As insightful as she is approachable, Shannon always offers a candid take on the human side of technology.

• Brian Morrissey, Adweek digital editor. Brian brings a much-needed skepticism to social media. In a world where bloggers are the primary source of news on all things social, it's nice to have Brian to scrape away the bull and talk about what companies are really grappling with as they struggle to reach new audiences online.

• David Stutts, Luckie's director of brand planning. I'm not one to glorify coworkers willy-nilly, mostly because I work with a lot of incredible people and would have a hard time playing favorites. But I'm constantly learning about trends and emerging ideas from David, who posts his many findings on Twitter and Tumblr. If you're not already subscribing to his free e-mail newsletters, Trend Trackers and Generational News & Views, you really should. Just drop him an e-mail, and he'll start sending it to you each month.

• Gini Dietrich, CEO of Arment Dietrich. For an executive, much less a PR executive, Gini is always refreshingly honest on her blog, The Fight Against Destructive Spin. She offers a fantastic mix of practical tips and big-picture thinking. She's even re-imagining what her agency "does," and anyone is welcome to chime in on their transition from PR to social engagement.

• Alan Wolk, creative strategist. I've long been a fan of Alan's sharp and witty takes on the marketing industry, which he posts on his blog, The Toad Stool. What's nice is that Alan's never afraid to go against the grain and disagree with the big-time social media gurus. Some people do this just to inject themselves into a conversation, but Alan's restless insight comes from a more earnest and experienced place, making him always worth a read.

• Mack Collier, social media consultant. My biggest problem with Mack is that we agree way too much, on issues as small as Twitter semantics and as large as corporate marketing strategies. His zeal for transparency and customer-focused conversations have made him a hero to many of the unsleazy social media pros around the country. Be sure to check out his blogs, The Viral Garden and MackCollier.com.

It's always hard to create a list of smart folks like this, because I end up wanting to include dozens more. But if you follow this crowd, you're bound to find my other favorites soon enough.

Who are your personal, somewhat-under-the-radar thought leaders? I'd love to hear about them in the comments.

January 21, 2010

Throughout January, The Social Path is running daily tips on how to improve your social life — online, at least. Click here to learn more.

Etiquette quiz: We just met at a business lunch. Is it cool for me to friend you on Facebook that afternoon? What about LinkedIn? Twitter? Flickr?

The answer, of course, is that there is no universal answer. It’s up to each of us to set our rules of engagement on each social network, then politely but firmly enforce them.

No, you don’t need a written policy or pre-emptive disclaimer, although that might be helpful if you find that your reclusiveness on a certain site turns some colleagues sour.

To be honest, I had all but given up any hope of having a personal space online. By late 2009, it just seemed hypocritical to promote social networking by day, then deny friend requests from the people I met along the way.

But it’s easier than you’d think to shake off this feeling of overexposure. All it takes is a personal policy, one that will save you from having to decide each friend request on a case-by-case basis.

“If you know me well, you know I want to be liked by everyone. And you also know I have trouble saying no. So when I perceive I’ve hurt someone’s feelings or left a bad taste in their mouth, I wonder how I could have handled the situation differently. At the same time, I am (in my wise old age) finally learning I need to have some boundaries.”

Gini then goes on to describe her personal boundaries, which are pretty well in line with mine:

• Facebook profile is for people you know in real life
• Facebook Fan Page is for anyone interested in talking about professional issues.
• LinkedIn is for known business associates
• Twitter is pretty much wide open, assuming you’re not spammy or weird.

Again, there’s nothing universal about these rules. You might see Facebook as a professional forum, one where you’ll only ever post work-friendly updates. Personally, I like having Facebook as a place to talk openly with friends, family and colleagues, though I’ve admittedly stretched the definition of each depending on the individual.

So take a few moments to jot down — or at least think about — each of your social networks and your personal rules for admission.

I assure you, this is not a limiting process. It’s a liberating one.

You’ll feel more comfortable and empowered in each space, and you’ll be able to focus your professional efforts accordingly.

If LinkedIn is your business-life hub, start using it as such. Get serious about posting your professional content there and engaging your network. If Facebook is a private space, boot out those random party-crashers and give your privacy settings a good review to ensure you’re not mistakenly sharing yourself with the world.

Sure, you might still upset a few people if they feel slighted that you ignored their friend request, but more often than not, they’ll forget they ever sent the invite.

If someone really wants an explanation for having to stay outside the velvet rope, you’ll have a clear answer that they’re bound to respect. If they don’t, they probably wouldn’t make a good friend anyway.

Estimated time needed: 15 minutes to think about, a lifetime to enforce.Benefits: A more comfortable and productive social networking experience.